You would have died happy: what accused allegedly told wife

THE second wife of a man accused of trying to kill her has claimed that when she confronted him he told her: "You would have died happy."

Felicity Drumm was giving evidence at the trial of Malcolm Webster, who denies trying to kill her by drugging her and by staging a car crash.

Webster also denies murdering his first wife, Claire Webster, in a fireball car crash in Aberdeenshire in 1994.

Ms Drumm told the High Court in Glasgow yesterday that after the car crash in February 1999 she met Webster, who had moved into a motel, in a supermarket car park in Auckland, New Zealand.

She said: "I challenged him. I said it was quite clear his intention had been to kill me.

"He said I would have died happy. I had never been happier. He had given me love, marriage and a child. In other words I should be grateful."

Prosecutor Derek Ogg, QC, asked her if she was sure Webster had said she would have died happy and she replied: "Yes."

When asked what her reaction to his remarks was, she said: "I felt sick and I felt repulsed by him. I had intended to spend the rest of my life with him."

Ms Drumm, 50, was asked whether she still loved Webster and replied: "Not in the same way. I was very certain my marriage was over."

She told the court that she had later met Webster alone, but that her uncle was parked nearby in the car park and could see what was going on.

Describing the crash earlier, Ms Drumm said: "He started weaving across all the lanes on the motorway. We were travelling at high speed and he was weaving across lanes.

"The car went across to the right across two lanes of traffic, then back across another two lanes of traffic.

"We were travelling at high speed towards a motorway lamp, which was going to hit my side of the car.

"I was screaming at Malcolm to watch out for the lamp. I grabbed the steering wheel and turned it towards Malcolm."

She told the court that the car almost came to a controlled stop and she and Webster were uninjured.

The court heard that when Ms Drumm examined papers belonging to Webster, she found he had insured her life for NZ$1.9 million (almost 900,000).

She also found in his computer e-mails to friends in which he described her as suffering from post-natal depression after the birth of their son and added that she needed close supervision for her own safety.

Ms Drumm also found that Webster had bought a number of antiques in New Zealand using the joint account they had and had arranged to have them shipped back to the UK.

After their confrontation in the car park, Ms Drumm went to the police about Webster and he was charged with dangerous driving.By the time the police came to serve the papers on him he had left New Zealand.

Ms Drumm said she has taken Webster to court in New Zealand and added: "He owes me in excess of half a million dollars."

Webster, 51, is also alleged to have formed a fraudulent scheme between 2004 and 2008 to enter into a bigamous marriage with a lover, Simone Banerjee, to get access to her estate.

He denies all the charges. The trial before judge Lord Bannatyne continues.